Sanguine Vampiris
by Passionate Cec
Summary: What happened right after Helen was injected with the source blood? What did John leave out in his account to Ashley? Missing scene set right after the flashback from The Five.


Hi,

I just realized that I had only posted on Helen/John story here and that is just not right... So I'm going to rectify that.

This is one of my most recent stories which I thought of because I love the whole Victorian era (in Sanctuary) and because I love the episode _The Five._ It's set right after the flashback scene where John tells Ashley about them injecting themselves the source blood.

I decided that, from the little we saw on screen, there was no way they could inject themselves vampire blood without immediate consequences. So here is what I think happened right after Helen gasped. Technically, it's a missing scene from _The Five_; chronologicaly... not so much.

_Sanctuary_ and all its characters do not belong to me. I make no money with this story. Its sole purpose is entertainement. No copyright infringement intended.

I hope you like it. As usual, leave a little something on your way out so I know what you thought about this.

Enjoy. =)

**Sanguine Vampiris**

Helen gasped as the source blood entered her vein. She grasped whatever she could hold onto as the burning sensation progressed in her body, turning worried eyes to look at John. She could feel everywhere the foreign blood was flowing in her body as if fire were running through her veins. Again, she gasped when she felt the burning approach her lungs and heart, making it difficult to breathe. Black dots were starting to swim in front of her eyes and her hands and feet were numb. She tried to tighten her grip on John's hand but feared that it was only gradually slackening as the numbness moved up her arms and legs. She vaguely heard, from afar, someone calling her name but more did not register as she fainted, her body falling against John who kept her from hitting the ground.

He gently laid her down, her head on his lap as his hand moved to push back strands of blond hair that had fallen across her face. He almost gasped himself when his skin touched her burning forehead. His eyes were clouded with concern and worry as he looked down at her deathly pale face. Her cheeks were already flushed with fever and her skin was clammy. He took hold of the pillow Nigel had handed him and set it under her head, starting to unbutton her dress and undo her corset hoping it would help her breathe. When there was nothing more he could do, he watched as James examined her.

They both noticed that her already high temperature was climbing at an alarming rate. Her breathing was shallow and irregular, perspiration was already marring her features and, even though she was unconscious, she seemed to be getting more and more agitated, as if trying to escape the discomfort that her body was putting her through.

'Extremely elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Very high temperature.' James noted. 'Her body is reacting to the presence of a foreign body inside her. She's showing all the signs of an infection. Only I've never witnessed it to such extend. And most certainly not with such a fast onset.'

'Can you do something?' John asked, concern evident in his voice. He kept a tight hold of one of her hands, his free hand remaining on her forehead to comfort Helen and himself and to check for the still fast climbing temperature.

'I've never seen anything happening this fast. Even if we tried, I'm afraid there wouldn't be any time left to do much.'

He looked up at his best friend whose features immediately showed how devastating the news was to him. And he could understand. John was so completely in love with Helen he would do anything for her. And seeing her in that state had to make John feel so utterly useless and helpless. She was one of the only persons she had left in this world and undoubtedly the one who meant the most to him. Without her, James had no doubt that his friend would crumble.

'So what are you saying?'

'I have no idea what is happening to her, but it doesn't look good. I'm sorry, John.'

Druitt was about to let out all his anger, because there was nothing else he could do, when they heard Helen moaning. Her face was scrunched up in pain and her head was thrashing from one side to another as if she were trying to escape the pain. Her hand tightened around John's and she moaned a few more times before opening her eyes. They were shining with fever and looked bluer than ever before.

'John.' She moaned.

'Helen, I'm right here.'

She turned to look up at him. Her eyes revealed how scared she was and how much pain she was in. She let out a desperate cry as all the muscles in her body contracted painfully at once. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could, letting the burning tears that had appeared there slip down her temples. John lifted her onto his lap so her head was resting on the crook of his right elbow. He leaned back against the chair she had been seated in merely fifteen minutes earlier and held her shivering body against his torso. She managed to lift her arm and fisted her hand around his shirt, holding onto it as if it were her lifeline, feeling that this time, it would be more than just a saying. A much louder cry tore from her chest as her muscles tensed again.

'It hurts.' She sobbed against John's sleeve

She let out a scream that broke the four men's hearts as her body again contracted, more painfully than ever before. She felt as if her whole body was on fire, burning as someone repeatedly stabbed her with a hot white blade. She turned her face completely against John's body, sobbing violently, hoping that at least she could faint again so she wouldn't feel the pain anymore.

John winced and tightened his grip on her every time he felt the muscles under her skin tensing. Even through her chemise, he could feel that her skin was still far too hot and felt how terrified she was. She was shivering but he didn't know whether it was only her body's reaction to the fever or if she was actually cold despite her body's much too elevated temperature. Four more screams came out of her, corresponding with her muscles becoming rock hard. And then, they gradually turned to cries and then mere helpless whimpers. Helen's hold on his shirt slackened but she was still pressing her face against his chest hard enough that he knew she was still conscious. He moved the hand that wasn't holding her up to her cheek, pushing away a few blond locks. He immediately noticed a change. Though still warm, her skin wasn't burning anymore and her breathing was slowly evening out.

'James!' He called. His friend quickly approached again and took note of the changes.

'Helen?' He asked softly. 'Are you feeling any better?'

She nodded slowly and weakly, hoping John would catch the almost imperceptible movement. He did and nodded to his friend, letting his hand caress the still warm skin of her cheek, sliding down her neck and arm before moving back up, hoping she could feel and be soothed by the gesture. He shot James a questioning look but James just answered with a clueless face and a shrug so he turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. He could feel her relaxing and when he was convinced she was unconscious or asleep, he felt her move slightly so she could be fully on her back. The movement made her moan again. Helen looked up at John, his eyes still showing how scared he had been. She felt his hand move from her arm to settle on her abdomen and she noticed that the only thing separating their skins was her thin chemise. She closed her eyes briefly, opening them back wearily.

'We should move her to a bed, she would be more comfortable.' James suggested.

He gently grabbed her arm to check for her heart rate and blood pressure again. When that was done he looked at her face. It was almost as white as her chemise and, though her eyes were closed and she tried to relax, the lines on her face showed what she had just gone through. He couldn't imagine what that had been but the cries and the screams that Helen hadn't held back had scared him; never would she have allowed it on a normal day, no matter how much pain she was in.

'Her heart rate and blood pressure are almost back to normal. Temperature is still slightly elevated but that isn't too worrisome anymore. I will have her father called. He will probably be the best person to assess this.'

He looked down at his friend's pale face. He could tell that she wasn't asleep, though she probably wished she were. And so did he.

'Helen? Are you still in any pain?'

The woman wearily opened her eyes again and looked at her friend, nodding slowly.

'It – it's residual pain. From the spasms.' Her voice was low and raw, a testimony to her desperate cries.

'Do you think you could move to a bedroom?' She didn't hesitate long before shaking her head.

'It hurts too much to move.'

'I will carry her.' John stated, not missing a beat.

He probably wouldn't have let her stand on her own anyway. He managed to slip his free arm under her knees and, with James help, stood up. Helen's arm slipped around his neck, but he could feel that there wasn't any strength left in her that would allow her to help him. When he was certain that his precious package was safely settled in his arms, he followed Nikola up the stairs and entered the guest bedroom. He walked towards the bed and laid Helen down on it after Nikola had pulled back the covers. Their friend remained in the back ground, slightly uncomfortable. They both knew that, even though he would never admit it, he had been worried; despite his initial complaints about Helen being 'just a woman', he had come to like her and would be just as devastated as the rest of the Five were something tragic to happen to her. Helen offered him a small smile and a 'thank you Nikola'. He quickly understood that he was being dismissed and left the room, even if he didn't like the fact that John got to stay with Helen.

As soon as the door closed, John turned to his lover and sat down on the side of her bed. He gently held her hand, his thumb slowly rubbing its back. Helen looked exhausted. She dropped her head back against the pillows and offered him a weak smile.

'How are you feeling, my love?' He asked, softly.

'Extremely tired. Like I have never been before.' Her voice was still low and she was still speaking slowly which indicated more than her words than she was indeed, telling the truth. 'My whole body hurts.'

'I'm afraid that will last a while. A few days at least.' She nodded, her eyelids starting to close on their own as her exhausted body started to shut down. 'You should sleep. Let me help you out of your dress so you can sleep more comfortably.'

Again, she merely nodded. He removed the dress and corset, leaving them on a nearby chair. He knew her chemise wasn't meant to be slept in, but at least it wasn't tight and would allow her to breathe and move freely. Though he doubted she would be doing much of the latter as it seemed that even the slightest head or hand movement hurt her. It pained him to see her this way and he, again, knew he should have been more insistent; he really shouldn't have let her inject the blood in her veins first. The reaction had been terrible and they didn't know if that was all there would be or if more was to come. As he tucked her in, he moved his hand to her face, touching her cheek then her forehead. She was still a little bit too warm to the touch, but, as James had said, it wasn't anything to be worried about anymore. He felt her smaller hand grasp his weakly and looked straight into her tired blue eyes.

'I'm alright, John.' She whispered, turning to kiss the palm of his hand. 'I'm alright, now.'

He briefly closed his eyes and nodded. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and he was about to pull away to let her sleep but she didn't relinquish her weak hold on his hand.

'Stay with me, John.' She requested.

He didn't know whether he felt more relief or more worry. On one hand, he was glad he had the chance to remain with her; he had been reluctant to leave, but would have if she hadn't voice otherwise. He was also glad Helen trusted him when she was at her worst. On the other hand, the fact that the Great Helen Magnus admitted to needing someone was, in his opinion, more worrisome than anything else. She was so keen on her independence that she rarely admitted to being tired, or even sick. In Helen's vocabulary, those were synonyms of weakness and she despised them with all her might. He was also slightly worried about how his spending the night with her would look to their friends. His conflicted feelings must have registered on his face because next thing he knew, Helen tried to pull slightly at his hand and he heard her weak and soft voice.

'They know about us, John. And if they think that we are going to do anything inappropriate tonight I doubt they deserve their place in the Five.'

He nodded and noticed the sudden appearance of a twinkle in her eye that had never been as welcome as after the past hour during which they had been filled with nothing but pain and the terrified look of a woman who knew she was dying in the worst way possible, leaving a lover behind who would be desperate without her. He cocked his head to the side and shot her a questioning look. She smiled teasingly and he was glad to see that, despite the pain she had gone through, she still could be teasing.

'And, John, since when have we cared about being appropriate?'

He laughed and leaned down to drop a kiss on her lips. He stood up and got rid of his unnecessary clothing, leaving it on the chair where Helen's clothes already lay. After blowing out the candles that Nikola had left in the room, he joined her under the covers and moved as close to her as he could. She was still lying on her back and he was on his side, their bodies touching from head to toe, his arm circling her waist and holding on tight. She moved her head so it rested against his chest, under his chin. He listened as her body relaxed completely and her breathing evened out and slowed down as she drifted into unconsciousness and became oblivious to the pain that would still be present for a while. When she was completely limp, John decided that, he too, could sleep. Now that he knew Helen was well enough to sleep he felt calmer and could let go of the fear that had gripped his heart. Still, he slightly tightened his hold on her, as if to make sure that she would not leave him. Finally, he settled down and let Morpheus claim him.


End file.
